Colorful pins and pints at Novo Brewery in Chula Vista.

A night before Christmas, I decided to check out the new Novo Brazil Brewing establishment in Chula Vista. I went because they make my all-time favorite hard kombucha, and because I wanted to see if the new 12,000-square-foot location was worth the hype. As I was browsing the menu, I spotted Alejandra and Priscilla sipping on beer and looking extremely cute and comfortable. After ordering a mango & ginger kombucha, I learned that the two of them were catching up after not seeing each other for a few months. They are both Chula Vista natives who now reside north of San Diego but were in town for the holidays. Alejandra lives in Los Angeles and works in entertainment marketing, while Priscilla lives in San Francisco and works as a visual designer.

Friends celebrating the holiday season in comfortable yet stylish ensembles.

Alejandra wore a cotton-candy pink corduroy jacket from Zara ($30) over a heather gray ribbed turtleneck top from Zara ($25), black jeans that she’d cuffed at the ankle from Zara ($45), and black-and-white “campus” sneakers from Adidas ($60). She mentioned that even though she had opted for casual jeans and sneakers, a pop of pink was necessary in order to make her look a little more exciting. Alejandra, who has lived in LA for over two years, has observed that people in Los Angeles wear the trends first. “People take more risks when it comes to their outfit choices. If you walk along Santa Monica Boulevard, you’ll find people of every age and gender wearing bold pieces that express their unique personalities.”

She admitted that although thrifting is huge right now, especially in LA, she still goes to big stores such as Zara to shop for her clothes.

Priscilla sported a gray graphic tee from Parks Project ($38) that her boyfriend gave her. On the back side, the shirt displayed a list of U.S. national parks. She explained, “Once you visit each park, you’re supposed to check it off the list. With each purchase, the company gives money back to the various parks. It’s a great cause.”

On top of the tee she was wearing a black zippered moto jacket from a local Chula Vista boutique she couldn’t quite recall the name of ($30), and for bottoms, she went for some dark gray kick-flare trousers by Amuse ($30). To tie the whole look together, she wore some beige Chuck 70 high tops ($80) and added some pins for personality.

I asked her how she determined what pins made it on the jacket, “I actually collect pins, and the way I determine if I’ll put them on my jacket is according to their size and color. They need to balance each other out.”

Since she lives in San Francisco, which is known for getting a lot chillier than San Diego in the wintertime, I was curious to know if the weather dictated her fashion. “We get colder winters and summers, so regardless of the season, you always need a jacket. It’s fun to play around with different outfits and try to keep warm.”